أَمْثَالٌ 2

١ 1 يَا ٱبْنِي، إِنْ قَبِلْتَ كَلَامِي وَخَبَّأْتَ وَصَايَايَ عِنْدَكَ،

My son, if you would accept my words, and conceal my commandments within you,

٢ 2 حَتَّى تُمِيلَ أُذْنَكَ إِلَى ٱلْحِكْمَةِ، وَتُعَطِّفَ قَلْبَكَ عَلَى ٱلْفَهْمِ،

so that your ears may listen to wisdom, then bend your heart in order to know prudence.

٣ 3 إِنْ دَعَوْتَ ٱلْمَعْرِفَةَ، وَرَفَعْتَ صَوْتَكَ إِلَى ٱلْفَهْمِ،

For if you would call upon wisdom and bend your heart to prudence,

٤ 4 إِنْ طَلَبْتَهَا كَٱلْفِضَّةِ، وَبَحَثْتَ عَنْهَا كَٱلْكُنُوزِ،

if you will seek her like money, and dig for her as if for treasure,

٥ 5 فَحِينَئِذٍ تَفْهَمُ مَخَافَةَ ٱلرَّبِّ، وَتَجِدُ مَعْرِفَةَ ٱللهِ.

then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and you will discover the knowledge of God.

٦ 6 لِأَنَّ ٱلرَّبَّ يُعْطِي حِكْمَةً. مِنْ فَمِهِ ٱلْمَعْرِفَةُ وَٱلْفَهْمُ.

For the Lord bestows wisdom, and out of his mouth, prudence and knowledge.

٧ 7 يَذْخَرُ مَعُونَةً لِلْمُسْتَقِيمِينَ. هُوَ مِجَنٌّ لِلسَّالِكِينَ بِٱلْكَمَالِ،

He will preserve the salvation of the righteous, and he will protect those who walk in simplicity:

٨ 8 لِنَصْرِ مَسَالِكِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَحِفْظِ طَرِيقِ أَتْقِيَائِهِ.

serving the paths of justice, and guarding the ways of sanctity.

٩ 9 حِينَئِذٍ تَفْهَمُ ٱلْعَدْلَ وَٱلْحَقَّ وَٱلِٱسْتِقَامَةَ، كُلَّ سَبِيلٍ صَالِحٍ.

Then you shall understand justice and judgment, and equity, and every good path.

١٠ 10 إِذَا دَخَلَتِ ٱلْحِكْمَةُ قَلْبَكَ، وَلَذَّتِ ٱلْمَعْرِفَةُ لِنَفْسِكَ،

If wisdom is to enter into your heart, and if knowledge is to become pleasing to your soul,

١١ 11 فَٱلْعَقْلُ يَحْفَظُكَ، وَٱلْفَهْمُ يَنْصُرُكَ،

then counsel must guard you, and prudence must serve you,

١٢ 12 لِإِنْقَاذِكَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ ٱلشِّرِّيرِ، وَمِنَ ٱلْإِنْسَانِ ٱلْمُتَكَلِّمِ بِٱلْأَكَاذِيبِ،

so that you may be rescued from the evil way, and from the man who speaks perversities,

١٣ 13 ٱلتَّارِكِينَ سُبُلَ ٱلِٱسْتِقَامَةِ لِلسُّلُوكِ فِي مَسَالِكِ ٱلظُّلْمَةِ،

from those who leave the straight path to walk in dark ways,

١٤ 14 ٱلْفَرِحِينَ بِفَعْلِ ٱلسُّوءِ، ٱلْمُبْتَهِجِينَ بِأَكَاذِيبِ ٱلشَّرِّ،

who rejoice when they have done evil, and who exult in the most wicked things.

١٥ 15 ٱلَّذِينَ طُرُقُهُمْ مُعْوَجَّةٌ، وَهُمْ مُلْتَوُونَ فِي سُبُلِهِمْ.

Their ways are perverse, and their steps are infamous.

١٦ 16 لِإِنْقَاذِكَ مِنَ ٱلْمَرْأَةِ ٱلْأَجْنَبِيَّةِ، مِنَ ٱلْغَرِيبَةِ ٱلْمُتَمَلِّقَةِ بِكَلَامِهَا،

So may you be rescued from the foreign woman, and from the outsider, who softens her speech,

١٧ 17 ٱلتَّارِكَةِ أَلِيفَ صِبَاهَا، وَٱلنَّاسِيَةِ عَهْدَ إِلَهِهَا.

and who leaves behind the Guide of her youth,

١٨ 18 لِأَنَّ بَيْتَهَا يَسُوخُ إِلَى ٱلْمَوْتِ، وَسُبُلُهَا إِلَى ٱلْأَخِيلَةِ.

and who has forgotten the covenant of her God. For her household inclines toward death, and her paths toward Hell. (questioned)

١٩ 19 كُلُّ مَنْ دَخَلَ إِلَيْهَا لَا يَؤُوبُ، وَلَا يَبْلُغُونَ سُبُلَ ٱلْحَيَاةِ.

All those who enter to her will not return again, nor will they take hold of the paths of life.

٢٠ 20 حَتَّى تَسْلُكَ فِي طَرِيقِ ٱلصَّالِحِينَ وَتَحْفَظَ سُبُلَ ٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ.

So may you walk in the good way, and keep to the difficult paths of the just.

٢١ 21 لِأَنَّ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمِينَ يَسْكُنُونَ ٱلْأَرْضَ، وَٱلْكَامِلِينَ يَبْقَوْنَ فِيهَا.

For those who are upright shall live upon the earth, and the simple shall continue upon it.

٢٢ 22 أَمَّا ٱلْأَشْرَارُ فَيَنْقَرِضُونَ مِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ، وَٱلْغَادِرُونَ يُسْتَأْصَلُونَ مِنْهَا.

Yet truly, the impious shall perish from the earth, and those who act unjustly shall be taken away from it.